The story
The third-generation CTS-V took the supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 straight from the Corvette Z06, internals and all, and was allowed 640 hp to the Corvette's 650 for reasons that owed more to the corporate pecking order than to engineering. With huge brakes lifted from the Camaro Z/28 and a chassis that hides its bulk remarkably well, it reached 60 mph in 3.6 seconds in Car and Driver's test and lapped Virginia International Raceway quicker than a Dodge Viper SRT10 once had. At 1,873 kg (4,129 lb), it even undercut the weight of its German rivals.
Off the line it loses to all-wheel-drive rivals, because 2 rear tires can only do so much with 630 lb-ft. Once the road bends, the balance tips its way. It feels big and broad-shouldered at a cruise yet changes direction with real agility, the steering asks for genuine effort, and the whole car carries an edge of threat the polished Germans never quite manage. It followed a 400-hp first generation and a 556-hp second, then handed over to the CT5-V Blackwing, a better car that looks far less dangerous.
